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The first thing we noticed when loading up Delta Force were the graphics: they weren't particularly pretty. That's because Delta Force is powered by NovaLogic's own Voxel Space 3 engine, which as the name implies, utilizes voxels instead of polygons. NovaLogic has been using previous variants of the Voxel Space engine to power most of their combat simulators, with the original, Comanche, dating back to 1991. In simple terms, a voxel is a 3-dimensional pixel. These voxels are then grouped together like pieces of Lego in order to form contours. Typically, voxel modeling is used by the field of medicine to view X-rays and MRI scans from multiple angles. NovaLogic, on the other hand, has been using their series of Voxel Space engines to shape the terrain of their games, and to their credit, they've succeeding in accurately modeling diverse, and more importantly, believable, environments.
The Delta Force terrain is truly interactive, and by that we don't mean Duke Nukem 3D interactive, we mean 1960's John Lennon "be one with the land, baby" interactive. Every hill can be climbed, every valley can be ascended, every dip can be ducked into and every bump can be used for cover. Anyone who's ever played a game of paintball can attest to the value and necessity of using the surrounding environment to their advantage. The same is true of Delta Force.
Each of the game's missions is made up of 2 essential parts: the time before you're discovered by the enemy, and the time after, and during both, use of the terrain is a must. Delta Force isn't Quake II, nor does it pretend to be. Walking up to an enemy will get you shot, and getting shot will get you killed. The game's overall criteria is to remain undetected for as long as possible, and indeed, this is reflected in many of the mission objectives. Doing so is relatively easy. Thanks to the Voxel Space 3 engine, each level has some sort of valley or dry river bed where you can walk through, well below eye level of the enemy. Used in conjunction with the GPS window, navigating around enemy locations can be done with ease. Since Delta Force prides itself on realism, one bullet is usually all it takes to ruin your day, so the less enemy guns that are trained on you, the better.
Delta Force kicks into gear, however, when you're finally taken notice of by the enemy. The classic example of this being the very first mission in the game, where your squad surrounds a drug lord's camp situated in a valley. Looking down at the enemy with a rifle scope or a pair of binoculars, you'll see the gunmen walking about casually, some interacting with each other, ready for trouble but not anticipating it. Fire a single shot and the whole camp comes alive. People start scampering back and forth, all the while barking orders at each other… and then comes the barrage of bullets. Having been taken by surprise, the enemy will initially fire indiscriminately into the air. This is especially true on night missions, where you'll be outfitted with low-light goggles while enemy soldiers won't (this often results in a scene which resembles the Persian Gulf War footage of Baghdad's skyline being lit up by AAA fire).
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